Any Advice on Electric Lawnmowers

[mso489]

For about 35 years I was happy with my gas lawnmowers. The first two I bought used, did the basic maintenance, and got good service and reasonable lawn maintenance out of them. A new one or two also gave good service with simple upkeep. I guess I just haven't kept up with maintenance.

My wife's cousin visited and got a newer one going, he being a Missouri cattle farmer and having solid small motor repair skills.

But the point is, I need to mow and not spend time repairing, or having repairs done.

I'm looking at electric mowers, an Ego push mower, another self-propelled version, and Stile mowers of similar descriptions.

A youTube comparison had the Ego mower outlasting and out-mowing the Stile by a clear margin, in terms of retaining a charge and having the torque to get through heavy or wet grass.

Anyone have experience and comments on these? Hiring someone to mow is expensive and not very dependable. The landscaping people are either overbooked or pirates.

 

[rick3wood]

the electric ones i had didnt last but a year or so , i went back to gas

 

[canucklehead]

I use a corded electric mower. The cord is a bit of a PITA until you learn to start on the side of the lawn closest to the plug. My neighbor starts on the far side of his lawn and curses at and struggles with his cord the whole time, it's almost painful to watch.

Corded mowers have more power, are more reliable, longer lasting, cheaper, lighter, and you never have to worry about charging or replacing expensive batteries.

This advice is only applicable if you have small lawns though, otherwise the cord range is a limiting factor.

 

[monty55]

Don't really know, but I'd think your lawn size and grass conditions would have a lot to do with it.
A big lawn with thick healthy grass, you might have to stop and recharge a few times. I would look for one with the highest torque and battery life to start with.

 

[Papamique]

the electric ones i had didnt last but a year or so , i went back to gas

How long ago was that?

 

[monty55]

I use a corded electric mower. The cord is a bit of a PITA until you learn to start on the side of the lawn closest to the plug. My neighbor starts on the far side of his lawn and curses at and struggles with his cord the whole time, it's almost painful to watch.

Corded mowers have more power, are more reliable, longer lasting, cheaper, lighter, and you never have to worry about charging or replacing expensive batteries.

This advice is only applicable if you have small lawns though, otherwise the cord range is a limiting factor.

Lol, yeah, I was gonna say "don't run over the cord", but I think they all run on rechargeable batteries these days.

 

[canucklehead]

Lol, yeah, I was gonna say "don't run over the cord", but I think they all run on rechargeable batteries these days.

Ryobi has a 2 or 3 corded models still. I have a cheapo "Yardworks" brand corded mower I got for free a decade ago that still works just fine, I sharpen the blade every couple years and it sits in a snowbank every winter.

 

[irishearl]

Had a corded electric mower over 30 years ago. Got a gas powered one shortly after we had moved to a pretty humid state, (i.e. Missouri) and I mowed our grass for the first time literally shocking myself in the process on the damp grass. If you don't like to mow, don't live in Missouri. We lived on 2 lots and, given how routinely damp the grass would be, it would take me 3 days to mow it. Then the rapidity of growth was such that some 2 days later I'd start all over again.

 

[mso489]

Anyone work entirely with a battery mower? What brand, and how efficient is it in terms of mowing overgrown areas and rougher spots.

I'm looking at Ace Hardware and Lowes locally, but Ace seems more attentive to customers and more informative on their products.

Electric is supposed to be better environmentally, but I'm more interested in a mower that starts right up and doesn't require maintenance that I apparently don't get done well enough, after years of doing so.

 

[LOREN]

Anyone work entirely with a battery mower? What brand, and how efficient is it in terms of mowing overgrown areas and rougher spots.

I'm looking at Ace Hardware and Lowes locally, but Ace seems more attentive to customers and more informative on their products.

Electric is supposed to be better environmentally, but I'm more interested in a mower that starts right up and doesn't require maintenance that I apparently don't get done well enough, after years of doing so.

I have a greenworks dual battery, self-propelled mower for the last three years that I have been very satisfied with.

 

[danish]

We have been very satisfied with our electric battery driven Bosch for about 15 years. The batteries still work and we have lots of grass on a hilly ground. Expensive to purchase but with less noise, pollution and maintenance.

 

[Sidehatch]

I have had an Ego mower for a few years now and it’s been very solid. Performance wise it performs beautifully. I haven’t had any issues with charging or keeping a charge. I thought it worked so well I bought a snow blower that uses same batteries. I don’t miss my gas mower one bit.

 

[kcghost]

A friend of mine got an Ego mower and he couldn't be happier. Ha got a second battery with it so he can mow his yard in one go.

 

[Briar Lee]

Our son mows our yard with my Toro zero turn (which is insane overkill) in only about five or ten minutes.

At my age if he ever quits mowing I’ll hire it done.

But if I had to recommend a lawn mower brand it’s Toro.

Toro makes and sells the most lawn mowers in the United States. Can you even imagine how capable a Toro engineer is that could say to you:

I design and engineer Toro lawn mowers.

It would be like somebody saying

I’m a German rocket scientist.

Take your pick

Lawn Mowers | Gas & Electric Lawn Mowers for Homeowners | Toro | Toro

Take charge of your lawn with the perfect Toro lawn mower - electric or gas - for your home and get performance you can count on.

www.toro.com

Every mower company is going to use the same basic lithium battery technology and electric motor tech to spin a steel blade.

Toro figured out how to get gas mowers the best and I’ll bet they do electrics the best too.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Consumer Reports has a massive number of such mowers reviewed. From a few hundred bucks to $7,000+ riding mowers.

 

[ashdigger]

Charge them outside. Away from your primary residence.

There’s your fun tip of the day, brought to you courtesy of the Lithium Ion Network

 

[jpmcwjr]

Good advice!

So, a few of your investigations included lithium Ion batteries misbehaving?

 

[ashdigger]

P

Good advice!

So, a few of your investigations included lithium Ion batteries misbehaving?

Plenty. Business is, let’s say, booming.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Sounds smokin' hot!

 

[mso489]

ashdigger, that sounds like a deal breaker. I feel like I would store the mower and battery indoors, since I don't have a good outside lock-up, but you're telling me this is a serious fire hazard, especially when charging the battery. That really puts me in spot.

It seems like there should be a ruckus about the fire hazard, but I guess it just hasn't been quantified and publicized.

Is it primarily when charging that the fires occur, or also during storage?

More to worry about. But I appreciate the knowledge. Thank you for all the input. And I'd be pleased with any other posts on this subject.